Kaley Cuoco’s Bunny Luv

Kaley Cuoco plays Penny, the hot, blonde neighbor across the hall on
TV’s popular, geektastic “The Big Bang Theory”. A well-known animal
activist, the caring actress is constantly giving her time to rescue
organizations so to see her on screen in the film Hop cuddling an
adorable bunny isn’t a surprise. The fact that that bunny is totally
computer-generated and not on set at all was both a surprise and a new
challenge for Kaley.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Kidzworld is on Universal Pictures studio lot in Cuoco’s comfy trailer
on a really cold Spring day to talk about her role in Hop which co-stars
Enchanted’s James Marsden and E.B., the CG, teen son of the Easter Bunny
who had really rather be a drummer in a rock band than step into his
dad’s pastel shoes.

For our interview, Kaley is mixing the seasons in her pretty floral
print sun dress covered with a sweater and accessorized with warm [kwlink 5152]UGG
boots[/kwlink]. It’s hard to talk Easter fun on this chilly day but let’s give it
a shot.

Kidzworld: So did your family celebrate Easter?

Kaley Cuoco: Yeah, we definitely celebrated Easter. I wasn’t allowed to
have sugar as a kid or any cola or anything so Easter and Halloween were
my favorite times because then I could eat as much candy as I wanted and
my sister and I would go crazy.

Kidzworld: Do you feel that the whole Easter basket and bunny thing is
just too commercial or a lot of fun?

Kaley: I think it’s great. Maybe because I’ve been working for so long,
I stopped believing at a young age in the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus.
I was like “Oh that can’t possibly be real” because I was so used to
pretending. But it’s great for kids to believe in something and enjoy a
fantasy because it’s not going to last very long.

Kidzworld: I read somewhere that you play the drums.

Kaley: I used to play, yeah. My parents still have a drum set at home.
My dad likes to play and I go jam every once in a while.

Kidzworld: So you can understand little E.B.’s desire to play drums in a
band then?

Kaley: Absolutely! I can totally understand. I think there are a lot of
teenagers out there who have that pull to be a musician or a rock star
which might not be their parents’ ideal situation so the movie speaks to
that.

Kidzworld: Your character Sam is a successful career woman trying to
help her jobless brother Fred (James Marsden). Could you be as
supportive as she is, trying to help him get work?

Kaley: The director (Tim Hill) wanted her to be the most supportive
person in Fred’s life. He’s smart but kind of a slacker or at least
can’t figure out what he wants to do in life. I don’t have any brothers
and I don’t know if could be that helpful because I lived in such a
strong-willed household for so long with motivated people around me so
I’m not used to people being slackers and it’s not my style.

Kidzworld: We know you and James had a great time on set but he worked
briefly with a CGI chipmunk in Enchanted. This whole picking up and
cuddling a bunny that isn’t there on set thing is new for you. Was it
easy or really hard?

Kaley: Not hard but we had a lot of rehearsal beforehand to feel out
what it would be like and it was definitely strange to get used to. We
were holding a beanbag full of sand that had little fake arms and the
weight of a creature. I think I popped it at one time and it was losing
weight. It was very bizarre but I got used to it. It was very technical
so we couldn’t move around a lot, very different to what I was used to
doing on “Big Bang Theory”. We would do two takes. First a rehearsal
with what they called a “stuffy” with a stuffed animal that looked
exactly like E.B.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Kidzworld: What was the biggest surprise to you about interacting with
the invisible bunny?

Kaley: It was just different. It was taking myself out of my routine on
the show. It was being around different people and obviously, the
stuffed animal was not normal at all and a different experience. It’s
all about trying new things and seeing what you can do with your acting
and changing it up a bit.

Kidzworld: You really have to be an actor with a huge imagination to
play opposite an animal who isn’t even there.

Kaley: Yes you do but Jimmy had the hardest time with that because he
had to work like 90 percent of the time with a stuffed animal. It was
crazy. That was so much hard work for him. We bonded so fast and were
friends and played a lot of Scrabble on our phones, a lot of off-camera
shenanigans, cutting up and keeping each other entertained.

Kidzworld: E.B. is bucking his dad’s wish for him to take over the
family business. Did you always want to be an actor or was there another
path you once wanted to take?

Kaley: Yeah, I played tennis for years. For a long time I was doing both
that and acting but when it reached a more serious point of focusing on
one, I obviously chose acting. I was a good tennis player and I thought
I’d go to college. I hadn’t decided. But I caught the acting bug and
that was it.

Kidzworld: Let’s talk “Big Bang”. Right now Pria, Leonard’s new
girlfriend, is pretty jealous of your character Penny and has told him
to stop having you around so much. Is that fun for you to play?

Kaley: Oh yeah. It’s definitely different. It’s good. Obviously any
girlfriend doesn’t want the blonde from the apartment across the hall
hanging out with her boyfriend so I can understand it in a way. We’re
having a blast.

Kidzworld: You missed a couple of episodes when you had a horrible
horseback riding accident yet everyone was amazed at how fast you
returned to work. Was that experience frightening and have you gotten
back on a horse?

Kaley: Oh yeah. I came back in two weeks. I had a cast for that first
week back and I was able to walk in it and just wear jeans so you
couldn’t see it. Luckily it all naturally worked out. I’ve been riding
for my whole life but yeah, I did get back on. I think, more
importantly, it’s just going out and hanging out with the horses.
They’re my pets so that was the most important thing to me. I’m not mad
at the horse. He should be mad at me if anything.

Kidzworld: Who on the show is most like a big brother to you and why?

Kaley: They kind of all are. Kunal (Nayyar) is very brotherly but they
all are. I have a different relationship with all of them (she used to
date “Leonard” Johnny
Galecki). They’ve become my family and vice versa and I love them all
dearly. We have our moments of “get away from me” and our moments of
“let’s go hang out all night long”. We spend a lot of time together and
know each other very well.

Kidzworld: Can you let us know what you do for exercise? Do you have any
skincare advice and also, who is your fave fashion designer?

Kaley: I’m very much into Yoga now and I’ve been spinning for a long
time. I’m enjoying Bikram Yoga. I like the heat, especially today would
be good. It’s cold! I love the way I feel afterwards.
Skincare, I wear a lot of sun screen and I’ve been using toners lately
because we have make-up on a lot and that can be tough on your skin.
It’s also good to get a micro-dermabrasion every two months or six
weeks. That’s really good for your skin.
Fashion, right now I’m so into Alexander Wang, his t-shirts and pants.
Everything I wear consists of him.

Kidzworld: You are in a movie called The Last Ride about country star
Hank Williams?

Kaley: I just have a couple of scenes. It’s about his last drive across
country and this kid drives him and they run into this girl. It’s really
sweet.

Kidzworld: What advice would you give teens who think they want an
acting career?

Kaley: That it’s hard and you had better build a thick skin now. Be
prepared to be told “no” often, more times than you’ll be told “yes”.It
can be very tough so have other loves and passions. Don’t put all your
heart into it.